Recent Comments

Answer Tips

Pinger

23 May 2014

You probably remember the fairly recent accusation of antisemitism, hurled by Vladimir Putin at his Ukrainian foes. Unexpected as it was, this was (still is) a part of the Russian propaganda maelstrom, an unprecedented deluge of misinformation aimed to present Russia as a benevolent power, caring in a motherly way for the oppressed minorities (Russian first, of course, but others too) wherever the said minorities are being oppressed.

Of course, propaganda is one thing and real life is quite another. Let's look at one of the thorny examples of real life not conforming to the Kremlin-issue imagery: the famous bearded man of Ukraine. Not the mythical one that was "discovered" by NYT (which goes to show the somewhat relaxed journalistic standards of this august progressive mouthpiece). No, the one I have in mind is a real, larger-than-life Russian mercenary in Eastern Ukraine city of Slavyansk, one Alexander Ivanovich Mozhaev, nicknamed Babay (the Russian word for bogeyman). The life story of Babay is already on Russian Wiki, but most of it is retold in Simon Shuster's exclusive in Time. The man (Babay, not Simon Shuster) is a typical thug, with undistinguished military career and a criminal charge:

His reasons for coming to Ukraine in March had a bit to do with Russian nationalism, but more to do with adventurism, and even more to do with his apparently being a fugitive from Russian law. Earlier this year, Mozhaev said, just as a revolution was forcing Ukraine’s old regime from power, he was charged in Krasnodar with a violent crime — which he described as “threatening to kill someone with a knife.” When he failed to come up with the bribe money for the corrupt officials who he says fabricated the charges, Mozhaev was put on a national wanted list in Russia and went on the run, according to his account, which could not be verified.

Coincidentally (or not), he was active in Crimea during the takeover:

By coincidence, he says, he was forced to flee arrest on March 7, in the middle of Russia’s invasion of Crimea. He chose Crimea as his destination. As TIME reported last month, thousands of state-sponsored Russian Cossacks were then streaming into Crimea to aid the Russian troops with that invasion. For most of March, Mozhaev says, he was there along with some of the men from his Cossack battalion, the Wolves’ Hundred, helping in the siege of a Ukrainian military base near the city of Bakhchysarai and guarding a local TV tower. In late March, after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, “we were sitting around down there and wondering what to do next,” he says. “So we decided to go conquer some more historically Russian lands.” Eventually he wound up in Slavyansk...

Whether it is Babay's personal charm or his inherent leadership qualities of a natural alpha-male, he has become quite popular as the face of pro-Russian insurgency in the Eastern Ukraine. We many never know whether Babay is a simple mercenary or a GRU agent or something else, altogether more sinister. One thing is for sure: this "typical" public face of the pro-Russian forces in East Ukraine is a well-rounded ultra-nationalist, fascist and (but of course) equal opportunity xenophobic hater.

"Kill the kike, save Russia" is the old and much honored Russian battle cry, used primarily in any situation when Russian people feel oppressed, slighted or simply hungover and look for a suitable scapegoat. Babay is a perfect embodiment of this tradition.

Babay asked Putin for weapons weapon "which will suppress the enemy from a distance." In particular, he said, "we need cannons." "Thank God, we are in God's hands" said the terrorist - "this is why the war is quick and easy for us. But it would be better not to lose any of our people, and to burn them [Ukrainian law enforcers - Ed.] from a distance. In this case", Babay said, "we could even do with the forces that we have now, no need for any reinforcements or anything."At the same time the terrorist called that Putin "open a corridor", so "all the people who want to fight for Holy Russia and destroy the evil West" could join the militants.Babay said that the "evil West" does not imply the entire West, only the "Judeomasons", because "they are just creating a mess everywhere in the world - such as they need" and "because of this we, simple Orthodox people, suffer."

Well, nothing unclear in that last paragraph, I hope, translation woes notwithstanding.

In the clip shown below, Babay announces capture of an American "negro". (There are no corroboration reports from other sources so far):

The approximate translation:

We have a negro! Obama! We took one negro, of the same color as you. We'll probably send him to you with greetings. With a hole in his forehead, as Vanga predicted. We will show you what you should expect. Get your troops out of here! When we come to Kiev, God willing, if you still haven't got out the troops, we will gather the Cossack army and come to visit you. In America, you know? And we'll trounce your Jewish-Masonic lodge. So there...